Birdwidow: I like the idea, conceptually. But in practicality, I can't see it working that well for "me." I do like the idea of harnessing geothermal energy for regulating the temps (I think I saw a piece on "Dirty Jobs" or some other Discovery Channel program). It looked like a really cool idea (No pun intended!). Thankfully, I didn't have to run trenches for my GH (Electricity is only a couple of feet away, and the hose easily reaches my GH). And our soil is pure, rock-solid, cement-like clay (in the summer anyway. Winter, it's more like slimy soup!). Plus the GH is tucked (tightly) into a back corner of the yard - I don't have anyplace that I *can* run a trench (not without disrupting tree roots, anyway) Nope. Digging ain't gonna happen! ;-) But I hope someone finds your suggestion useful; utilizes it; and TELLS US about it!!! I'm happy, so far, with the one screen panel. I've been able to stay w/in 12-15* of ambient since I installed it (Yay!!!). But I've still topped triple-digits a couple of times since installation (Thankfully, not "deadly")........ My "Addition Du Jour" was a cool-air humidifier that I found for appx $23 on eBay. Duracraft DH-805. It holds 3 gallons of water and it has a fan that blows upward. Sucks air in the side, drawing it over the water-well, and blows straight up. I've got it hooked up in front of my box-fan (that lives directly in front of the "screened" window). I hooked it up this morning, as the sun was just starting to warm things up (to 93* in the GH). Temps dropped 2* almost-immediately - and it kept the GH in a "reasonable" temperature realm for the entire day!!! I've got the humidifier (and the box fan) hooked up to a temperature regulated plug. It turns on at appx 78*F. So far... So good! I'll keep an eye on how it performs and post the results here... I think this might be a better solution than the bubbly-fountain I was thinking about earlier. Heck, for twenty-some bucks, I've got nothing to complain about! It's not something I'd use when it's "wet" out. But when it's wet, the GH wouldn't be all that hot anyway.......... Thanks, though, for the great idea! -Nancy

I have posted this information here many times so here it is again: I was fortunate to discover Brandywine Pink through the old Seed Savers catalogue when this variety was first introduced. Back then there was only one Brandywine Pink (Sudduth or Quisenberry strain). Today many seed companies offer inferior strains of Brandywine Pink so the first thing you have to make sure is to get the true Sudduth (also called Quisenberry) strain, e.g. from Johnny's of Maine Seed Company. Of course there are other Brandywine varieties but Brandywine Pink is what is usually referred to "a low yielding variety". As experienced Brandywine Pink growers know, this variety does not set fruits in hot weather (possibly due to defective blossoms or split calyces as was pointed out on this forum by Carolyn and I think Craig), even here in Southern CTâs zone 5. As VP International I had to travel and live in different parts of North America and Europe. I grew Brandywine in Northern Germany, Dublin/Ireland and Northern Italy. As Brandywine is a late season variety, starting the plants early and getting them into the ground early was absolutely necessary in Germany and Ireland and is also important here in CT. I use efficient Metal Halide grow lights and cool basement conditions which gives me sturdy stocky plants. It allows me to start Brandywine 9 weeks before setting them into the ground. I plant well established, hardened, stocky plants out in early /mid May depending on the weather conditions and go out of my way to protect them against cold temperatures. I noticed that Brandywine did really well in the lower sun intensity countries so while my other tomatoes are planted in full sun, Brandywine does best in an area where high trees block the summer sun around lunchtime. However, you will also get good yield if you follow these rules: Most gardeners are growing tomatoes in far too rich soil or over-fertilized soil and often use too much fresh compost. Carolyn Male, author of â100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Gardenâ said it best, quote: The result of using compost in the planting hole and added to the soil and using too much fertilizer and too many amendments is that plants are stressed by growing too fast and the stress helps induce blossom end rot and also makes the plants far more susceptible to various diseases (end of quote). Over-fertilized soil prevents early fruit set. Add to that the fact that Brandywine does not set fruit in hot weather and what do you get: Disappointing yields. By observing the above mentioned suggestions: 1. Start early 2. Grow the plants in soil that has been fertilized the year before 3. Try to provide some shade during hot summer month in order to increase yields. I foliar feed with a marine brown algae extract and water once with a stinging nettle manure tea after first fruit set. This procedure is repeated when the first fruits start to turn pink and after the first significant harvest. After fruit set while tomatoes are ripening I will side dress sparingly with a high potash natural fertilizer blend. Thatâs it. Follow these instructions and you will be astonished about the yield increase of Brandywine Sudduth strain. And if you have never grown Brandywine, get ready for a treat.

They're selling snake oil. There are so manys thing wrong with this proposal. First off, why do you feel you're not getting enough airflow? Is the room they used for their demo hard to heat or cool? If the existing 370 cfm is enough to keep that room comfortable, then there is no reason to pay money to increase the airflow. "More" is not always better. Your air handling system was designed to move air as an enclosed system. OF COURSE it's gonna move more air if you rig it to operate with the fan cover door opened. But again, more is not always better. I'll bet you could stand in that back room and *hear* the air rushing and whistling out of that vent after they took the blower door off. Your system should be set up to move the required amount of air as quietly as possible. You're also risking damage to the blower by making such a drastic change to the static pressure. The fan is designed to work against some amount of resistance. Lessen or remove that resistance and you could burn your fan motor out. A return in the basement is going to bring extra humidty and musty odors into your home. The air conditioning unit would have to work harder to remove the extra humidity. It could actually cost *more* money to operate. And if the unit was not capable of removing the extra humidity, you end up with damp air in your living quarters. This results in a cold, clammy feel that makes you feel uncomfortable. If you have some rooms that are hard to heat or cool, have a reputable HVAC company *calculate* how much air needs to go to each room. It's not a guessing game, and more is not always better. I noticed that you called the original installers and they blew you off. Forget them, they don't sound very professional. Try asking some of your neighbors for referrals, or check something like "craig's list". There has to be a reputable company in your area.

@digdirt I don't think he had an issue with the fan just it was more cumbersome because it was in the way. @njitgrad each to their own but for ME those fans are just not big enough. While much cooler than other lights T5's do put out a lot of heat. At the moment I am running 6 T5HO bulbs in a 10' X 13' insulated grow room in my unheated shop. I have a large fan, about twice the size of the one on your chair, on low blowing between my seedlings and lights.Those lights produce enough heat to keep the room at 19-22C (69-74F) which is above my intended temp of 16-17C (61-63F). Even with our outside temps dropping below freezing (28) at night and being slightly over during the day (36F). I have to open windows to lower the temp and my fan is thermostatically controlled to come on when the temp rises under the lights above 18C. Later in the year when the temps rise and I am running all my lights I have to run an air conditioner to keep temps down. It is quite possible I am being overly anal, but why not!! I will also add that I move plants that like it a bit warmer out of the direct fan breeze and temps go up fast. Not saying your set up won't work as it will and will do so well, it is just what you want. Moving lots of air lets me keep my lights closer, around 1" away, which I find better. YMMV. Reflective material around the sides isn't as important with overhead fluorescents as it is with, say HPS. With HPS you have to keep the lights farther away to avoid scorching the plants so you benefit from reflective sides. With the overhead fluorescent lights only being inches away very little light is being lost out the sides to reflect back. I put mylar on the sides of one light and had zero increase in lumens according to a light meter. Again YMMV. SCG